Not long ago, presidential candidate Herman Cain made headlines when he said blacks were brainwashed for not considering conservative ideas. On other occasions he declared that racism was no longer a problem and blamed the poor for being poor.
Herman Cain's assertion that blacks' overwhelming support of the Democratic Party was evidence of their having been "brainwashed" was the latest salvo in an intra-racial war of words over the state of black politics.
GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain says the idea that African-Americans won't vote Republican is "brainwashing."
You would think that a black man born and raised in Georgia, who was a teenager during the civil rights movement, would understand the transition of African-Americans from voting overwhelmingly Republican to strongly supporting the Democratic Party.
CNN's Dan Lothian reports on President Obama's outreach to African Americans and their concerns.
Even as he charges into his re-election battle, President Barack Obama has a festering weakness on a flank that, by all accounts, ought to be rock solid: the one held by African-American Democrats. Their support for his programs, belief in his leadership and enthusiasm for another term is softening just as he needs it most.
It is no secret that the Congressional Black Caucus did not initially support Barack Obama's campaign to become president of the United States. During the 2008 primary campaign, half of the members backed then-Sen. Hillary Clinton. It was not until the Iowa caucus win by Obama that many black Americans started to believe it was possible for a black man to become president. And even once it was clear that Obama could win, some CBC members were still skeptical.
While acknowledging the hard-hit black community and budding criticisms in its ranks, President Barack Obama said in a speech Saturday night to the Congressional Black Caucus that he wouldn't give up -- and urged members of the black community to join him to jump-start the still-sluggish economy.
Rousing speeches by gifted orators such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were crucial to the struggle for civil rights in America.
Manning Marable, my academic mentor and a well-respected scholar, died just three days before his decades-long project, "Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention," was released on Monday. It is an exhaustively researched biography that directly challenges the standard narratives surrounding Malcolm X.
Lead researcher of new Malcolm X book Zaheer Ali unveils new details into Malcolm X's life and assassination.
Below is an excerpt from Soledad O'Brien's memoir "The Next Big Story," published November 2 by Penguin Books. The story begins in 2006, just after she has obtained exclusive access to Martin Luther King Jr.'s papers and has reported on them for CNN's American Morning.
CNN's Soledad O'Brien looks at how some are fighting debt from the pulpit in "Almighty Debt: A Black in America Special," premiering at 9 p.m. ET on October 21.
When the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced a year ago this month that President Obama would be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Michael Steele criticized the decision and pointedly asked what had Obama accomplished to deserve such a high honor?
Simon Schama and Michael Gerson tell "Parker Spitzer" the president is failing to explain his vision to voters.
"Lift Every Voice and Sing" is an uplifting spiritual, one that's often heard in churches and popularly recognized as the black national anthem. Timothy Askew grew up with its rhythms, but now the song holds a contentious place in his mind.
Black church members talk relationships, love and what really keeps black women single.
Legs covered in skin-toned stockings, her skirt crisp to the knee, Patty Davis slips on the black heels she has shined for the day.
The editor of Essence Magazine defended Wednesday her recent hiring of a white fashion director -- a first for the 40-year-old publication that celebrates black women.
The NAACP has passed a resolution that condemns what it feels is rampant racism in the Tea Party movement. Members passed the measure on Tuesday at the organization's 101st annual convention in Kansas City, Missouri.
NAACP President Ben Jealous and Tea Party's David Webb spar over alleged claims of racism within the Tea Party movement.
Legalizing marijuana is a civil rights issue, according to one of California's most prominent African-American advocacy groups.
Ron Sparks clenches the Democratic slot in Alabama's gubernatorial race.
In his campaign to become Alabama's first African-American Democratic nominee for governor, U.S. Rep. Artur Davis downplayed race, bucked the black establishment and watched his opponent rack up endorsements from the state's key minority political groups.
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was leaving a news conference one afternoon when a tall man with a coppery complexion stepped out of the crowd and blocked his path.
Thomas Hagan, the only man who admitted his role in the 1965 assassination of iconic black leader Malcolm X, was paroled Tuesday.
Benjamin L. Hooks, a civil rights leader who led the NAACP from 1977 to 1992, has died, said the vice president for communication at the NAACP.
Frances Hooks reflects on the life and legacy of her husband. Civil rights icon Dr. Benjamin Hooks died Thursday.
If we are to address seriously the economic devastation in black communities across the nation, we have to put aside, once and for all, the idea that President Obama has a special obligation to African-Americans.
Job creation was the focus of a meeting with President Obama and Civil Rights activists.
Haiti's poverty has been much discussed since its massive earthquake, but little has been said of its rich, and equally fraught, history.
President Obama is is trying to put the racially insensitive remarks by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid behind him but some African-American leaders argue he is missing a major chance to begin an honest discussion about race in the United States.
Sen. Harry Reid's comments during the 2008 Democratic primary show that he is socially awkward, but they certainly don't prove he is a secret racist. If anything, these comments show that Reid may know about white voters, but he doesn't understand black voters at all.
The chairman of the Republican Party and a leading GOP senator called on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to give up his post Sunday, following the publication of remarks he made about President Obama's race in 2008.
Civil rights attorney Percy Sutton, who represented Malcolm X and became an influential New York politician and broadcaster, has died at age 89, associates said Sunday.
While the overall unemployment rate for Americans fell in November, the jobless gap between African-Americans and all other races actually rose, continuing a disturbing trend that has many lawmakers up in arms.
With "Black in America 2," CNN deepens its investigation of the most challenging issues facing African-Americans. CNN's Soledad O'Brien journeys to South Africa and criss-crosses the U.S., reporting on groundbreaking solutions that are transforming the black experience in America. O'Brien uncovers pioneers who are making a difference: people inspiring volunteerism, programs that are improving access to quality health care and education, and leaders working to address financial struggles and develop strong families. Before and after viewing these programs, use our free Discussion Questions and Learning Activity to facilitate a conversation with your middle and high school students.
In the words of my mentor and America's foremost child advocate Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of The Children's Defense Fund, it's time to "raise a ruckus people, it is time to raise a ruckus!"
Several hours before President Barack Obama gave his well-received speech at the NAACP centennial convention in New York City, he spoke before another probing audience of African-Americans aboard Air Force One.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux previews President Obama's remarks to the NAACP's 100th convention.
President Obama commended the progress of African-Americans in a speech on the 100th anniversary of the NAACP, but said there was still much work to be done.
As the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People prepares to celebrate its Centennial in New York, the city of its birth, I'm confident that we as a nation have turned an important corner on the long road toward racial and economic equality for all Americans.
Thursday the U.S. Senate passed a resolution apologizing for slavery and for legalized segregation.
In "What Matters", we partner with Essence Magazine to look at African American issues that "matter" to everyone.
The California Supreme Court's decision not to retract Proposition 8, the ban on gay marriage, has sent the issue back to the forefront of conversation across the country. Most recently, New Hampshire became the sixth state to legalize gay marriages. While some 18,000 same-sex couples have already tied the knot in California, those who wish to walk down the aisle today will not receive the same privilege.
It seems Tavis Smiley has been irritated with Barack Obama for a long time. Smiley is perhaps the most recognizable African-American journalist in the country. He is a fixture on radio and television, and has authored several books that are best-sellers among black readers.
They're not going to like this.
The NAACP filed lawsuits Friday against two of the nation's largest mortgage lenders -- HSBC and Wells Fargo -- alleging "systematic, institutionalized racism" in their subprime lending.
The NAACP filed lawsuits Friday against two of the nation's largest mortgage lenders -- HSBC and Wells Fargo -- alleging "systematic, institutionalized racism" in their sub-prime lending.
Forty years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., CNN launches a sweeping on-air and digital initiative, CNN Presents: Black in America. These documentaries, "The Black Woman and Family" and "The Black Man," focus on fresh analysis from new voices about the real lives behind the stereotypes, statistics and identity politics that frequently frame the national dialogue about Black America. Before and after viewing these programs, use the overview questions and discussion activity that follow to facilitate a discussion with your pre-teen and teenaged children.
Atlanta music group Jaspects brings jazz to a young audience in a new form blended with hip-hop.
It was the music of rebellion and youth. Artists traded witty improvisations onstage chronicling the pain and the promise of being black in America, inspiring inner-city and rural Southern audiences alike in nightclubs and on street corners.
The world will be watching as Barack Obama is sworn in as president of the United States of America. In anticipation of the inauguration, reporter John Zarrella, photojournalists Dominic Swann and Greg Kilday and I traveled to some of the landmark sites of the civil rights movement to reflect on events that helped shape this historic moment.
Students at a school where segregation was challenged see themselves as a microcosm of the nation.
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. told followers the night before he was killed that he had been "to the mountaintop" and seen the promised land of racial equality. Last week's election of Barack Obama was the equivalent of taking all African-Americans to that peak, says Dr. Alvin Poussaint.
Spiritual leaders of New York's African-American Muslim communities lashed out Friday at a purported al Qaeda message attacking President-elect Barack Obama and, using racist language, comparing him unfavorably to the late Malcolm X.
If you think African-Americans will come out in greater numbers than ever before to vote for Barack Obama, you're probably right.
Young black gay men, black women and white gay men in their 30s and 40s are much more likely to be newly infected with HIV than other groups in the United States, according to a new analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CNN's Soledad O' Brien and talk show host Larry Elder discuss the Republican Party and black voters.
Armstrong Williams is an African-American conservative commentator who is thinking about making a decision that he says is so agonizing, it gives him heartburn.
Watching delegates file into the Republican National Convention, it's easy to see one big challenge facing their party: Fewer than 2 percent of the delegates are black.
Will Smith has made epic blockbusters a Fourth of July tradition, and Denzel Washington is one of the most recognized faces in show business.
Elizabeth Cohen looks at a new report on AIDS.
The AIDS epidemic among African-Americans in some parts of the United States is as severe as in parts of Africa, according to a report out Tuesday.
Since she was 12 years old, Suzanne Africa Engo has been working to raise AIDS awareness.
Whenever the segment featuring me and my imprisoned brother, Everett, from Soledad O'Brien's searing CNN special "Black in America" airs nationally, I invariably receive an e-mail, call or comment from a black person saying our story is their story.
Both Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain are treading some unfamiliar campaign-year terrain this summer as key blocs of ethnic voters shift the electoral landscape and put previously uncontested states, big and small, up for grabs.
The following is a list of local and national organizations and programs designed to address many of the issues raised in "CNN Presents: Black in America" and "CNN & Essence: Reclaiming the Dream." Some of the people or guests featured in the programs are involved in some of these organizations.
Republican presidential hopeful John McCain received a polite but tepid welcome Wednesday as he spoke before a hugely pro-Barack Obama and Democratic crowd at the NAACP convention.
McCain offered some praise of Obama Wednesday for his inspirational ability.
CNN's Don Lemon reports on the first white valedictorian in historically black Morehouse's 141-year history.
Joshua Packwood knows what it's like to be a minority.
Members of the candidate's former spiritual home are confused and saddened by his departure, but are also relieved their congregation can avoid any further controversy
The state's African-American constituency remains strongly in Obama's camp. But is the candidate taking them for granted?
Barack Obama's candidacy has helped make African-American radio personalities sought-after presences
CNN's Anderson Cooper talks with a panel about whether the country is really ready to elect a black president.
The number of Americans who believe that the country is ready for a black president is rising, a poll released Thursday suggested.
The contest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is dividing civil rights movement veterans as well as older and younger African-American voters
Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Barack Obama and former Sen. John Edwards answered questions from CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Joe Johns and Suzanne Malveaux in a debate sponsored by CNN and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute, Monday night.
The top three Democratic presidential candidates face off in a Monday night debate in South Carolina, with the hearts and minds of African-American voters on the line.
In one small town, Barack Obama connects with a segment of the black electorate that he has yet to prove himself with
Democratic rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are locked in an intense battle to win South Carolina voters.
If the advisers around Sen. Barack Obama want to continue to delude themselves into thinking they have lots of time for black voters to get around to figuring out their candidate's record on issues they care about, then the latest CNN poll surely must be the kind of slap in the face to bring them back to reality.
Sen. Hillary Clinton's lead over Sen. Barack Obama, her chief rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, is growing among African-American voters who are registered Democrats, and particularly among black women, a poll said Wednesday.
Bill Schneider looks at new CNN poll results on black support for Democratic Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Like many prominent African-American leaders in South Carolina, state Sen. Robert Ford supported John Edwards in the race for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination.
That's right, I said it. And I mean it.
A trailblazing Chicago school starts economic education early to give inner-city black kids a leg up
S.C's influential black vote
In a fast-moving presidential contest with little breathing room, Democratic candidates are courting their base hard.
Imagine a presidential debate where the moderator, as well as the panelists posing the questions, are all journalists of color.
Does it have the right to deny a group of blacks citizenship in the tribe? The question is headed for Congress
The New Orleans mayor could fill a vacuum if the state's most influential African-American politician goes down
SI.com: Long way to goupdated: Mon Apr 16 2007 10:21:00
Sixty years after Jackie Robinson broke into the major leagues, baseball still has one white blight on its record. Forty percent of major leaguers are minorities, yet there are still only two minority general managers, the same two it's had for the past six years -- Ken Williams of the White Sox and Omar Minaya of the Mets.
Uncle Mordecai was sitting on his front porch where his garden was going to be when I walked up. Do you remember Uncle Mordecai? He was the one who told me the story celebrating his niece, Brenda, in my book "Nappy Hair." All of us in the Kenilworth neighborhood were curious to hear his thoughts on these insults that have been flying around. Before I could get through the gate he had already started complaining.
There's something interesting about watching crowds of African-Americans follow Tiger Woods around Augusta National on Easter weekend. When Woods, the son of a black father and Thai mother, arrived on Tour, many of us in black America believed that he was going to be our golfing messiah. When his father, Earl, told SI in 1996 that his son was "the chosen one," we thought Tiger had come to save us, to show the way toward more opportunities to play the game and succeed in the golf industry.
In recent months, ABC News-Washington Post polls showed Sen. Hillary Clinton running 40 points higher than Sen. Barack Obama among blacks voters asked to name their preference in the Democratic primary.
© 2011 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|